Not all is somber in our currently isolated lives. Some good news popped up last week. I had to share my glee.

Gov. Hogan announced last week on April 1 that reconstruction of westbound right lane on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge is 100 percent complete. I read the article in The Star Democrat several times to make sure that our governor was not playing an April Fool’s prank.

I am on record for bemoaning what was supposed to be a two-year project that had wreaked havoc on Eastern Shore motorists crossing the Bay Bridge to conduct personal and professional business on the Western Shore. I have written about my love-hate relationship with a bridge that I crossed for nearly 30 years as a commuter.

As it turns out, our past winter’s moderate weather and the coronavirus combined to expedite the rehabilitation project, not to speak of the governor’s intense interest in the project. Constant complaints from Marylanders caught in awful back-ups surely reached the State House.

The deadly COVID-19 naturally draws few, if any favorable reviews. But, for me, if it played even a minor role in speeding up the annoying but necessary bridge project, I am pleased.

Of course, the silver lining has a few wrinkles. Since Gov. Hogan has righty directed sheltering in place in an attempt to “flatten the curve” of the quickly spreading disease, travel across the Bay Bridge to see family and keep medical appointments has become a non-event. Video communication has replaced up-close contact.

This oft-frustrated Bay Bridge motorist feels thankful to the governor for his prodding and pushing. Jim Ports, executive director of the Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA), the state agency responsible for Maryland’s bridges, also deserves credit. He was the point person for the governor’s impatience and the public’s ire at the inconvenience.

I look forward to leaving my bunker some day and traveling across the rehabilitated westbound span.

Columnist Howard Freedlander retired in 2011 as Deputy State Treasurer of the State of Maryland. Previously, he was the executive officer of the Maryland National Guard. He also served as community editor for Chesapeake Publishing, lastly at the Queen Anne’s Record-Observer. In retirement, Howard serves on the boards of several non-profits on the Eastern Shore, Annapolis and Philadelphia.

After a winter with crews expediting #BayBridgeWork with the help of lower traffic volumes and occasional mild temperatures, the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) is preparing for an aggressive construction schedule in the coming weeks that will advance the project to rehabilitate the westbound right lane. Motorists should expect significant backups and delays as the work will coincide with increases in traffic volume that come with warmer weather.

Governor Larry Hogan’s aggressive timeline for the project, aimed at reopening all lanes of the Bay Bridge by summer, has gotten a boost over the winter. Relatively mild temperatures allowed crews to fill 13 bridge joints and all eight full-depth puncture holes with rapid set concrete. The success of those pours sets the stage to help streamline the upcoming pours of latex modified concrete (LMC) – decking material that needs temperatures of at least 45 degrees and a five-day curing process.

About 58% of the westbound span’s right lane has already received the latex modified concrete layer. After the remaining 42% of the right lane deck has been laid with latex material, the lane will be able to support traffic. As a reminder, this deck project is necessary because the westbound right lane surface has reached the end of its service life and is severely deteriorated.

Crews will continue to take advantage of good weather. Motorists should be aware that in coming weeks, mid-day westbound center lane closures may take place weekdays between the morning and afternoon rush hours. The center lane closures are necessary to give crews a safe work zone as they pour concrete onto the right lane. The center lane closures may occur Monday through Friday, any time between 10 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. daily, though the exact schedule will depend on weather, traffic volumes and work progress.

Spring Brings Progress, Travel Delays

While MDTA may adjust the construction schedule to avoid peak travel periods, motorists should allow extra travel time when crossing the bridge and expect major delays in both directions as spring approaches and traffic volumes increase.

Major weekend delays are anticipated as more people travel to the Eastern Shore for St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, spring break and warmer weekends in late April. In previous years during April, Bay Bridge motorists experienced weekend delays even when two-way traffic operations were in place to help alleviate eastbound delays. Weekend delays have the potential to extend to I-97 eastbound and the US 50/301 split westbound, even without weather impacts and incidents.

MDTA is asking motorists to plan ahead and travel the Bay Bridge during these off-peak periods:

St. Patrick’s Day weekend, Friday, March 13, through Sunday, March 15, the best times to travel will be before 10 a.m. and after 8 p.m.

Easter weekend, Thursday, April 9, through Sunday, April 12, the best times to travel will be before 10 a.m. and after 10 p.m. On Monday, April 13, the best times will be before 6 a.m. and after 6 p.m.

As always, MDTA urges drivers to stay alert in work zones, and thanks motorists and communities for their patience as this critical work advances. Also, remember that incidents or disabled vehicles can cause further backups and delays. Two-way traffic operations will be reserved for emergency situations and severe backups only. MDTA Police will continue working with Maryland State Police and local law enforcement to assist with traffic flow on US 50 and parallel routes. Bay Bridge drivers are reminded to stay on US 50 to keep local roadways open for first responders and residents.

The westbound project also includes replacement of overhead signals and steel rail posts, deck sealing and deck/joint repairs in the center and left lanes. After the right lane is reopened, this additional work will take place during overnight/off-peak closures in the 2020-2021 construction season with minimal impact on traffic. Parts of this phase will require placement of steel plates in some areas of the bridge.

During the past six months, few of us have avoided long, aggravating back-ups due to a necessary but poorly planned project affecting hundreds of thousands of trips across the Bay Bridge. The inconvenience and stress were palpable. Conversations often began, “You won’t believe how long I had to wait at that damn bridge.”

Kudos to Hogan for listening to the howls of angry despair when the westbound span’s right lane was closed at the end of September. The governor would have had to plead real or feigned deafness when massive back-ups occurred in both Anne Arundel and Queen Anne’s counties. He responded immediately and demanded that the Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA) act quickly to reduce the uproar.

And so it did. The contractor began working 24 hours a day, instead of in stages. The eventual cost of the projected $27 million project is unknown at this point. The public will benefit from the additional cost.

Any belly-aching would be meaningless; two years, instead of one, would have cost unmeasurable mental anguish.

While Hogan’s rightly-focused fury on relieving back-ups of 14 miles at times expedited the project, another factor came into play: climate change. We have enjoyed warmer temperatures. Concrete “cures” better in warmer conditions.

Indications of climate change/global warming usually generate negative reactions among many concerned about the human contribution to degradation of normal climatic cycles. So, it’s ironic when unseasonably warm temperatures have beneficial effects.

I’ve written frequently about my love-hate relationship with the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. For nearly 30 years, I commuted from Easton to Baltimore and Annapolis. Traffic conditions on the two spans became periodically unpleasant parts of my work day. As it did for thousands of others.

I suspect that 2019-2020 will be a seminal year for Hogan and MdTA. I predict that public sentiment will begin leaning toward a third Bay Bridge span. Memories of miles-long traffic delays will be fresh in the minds of motorists who use the 4.3-mile Bay Bridge to commute, shop, keep medical appointments or travel to see friends and family—not to speak of emergency medical vehicles heading to hospitals.

I have many reservations about a third Bay Bridge span and its environmental impact on life on the Eastern Shore. I question the continued dependence on cars to travel.

My qualms and concerns likely will be useless. The die is cast, I believe. The governor already has stated his preference for a third span adjoining the existing two.

Thank you, Gov. Hogan, for demanding a resolution to the bridge mess. The MdTA quickly altered the redecking rehabilitation project.

Delays won’t cease yet. However, the future looks promising.

Columnist Howard Freedlander retired in 2011 as Deputy State Treasurer of the State of Maryland. Previously, he was the executive officer of the Maryland National Guard. He also served as community editor for Chesapeake Publishing, lastly at the Queen Anne’s Record-Observer. In retirement, Howard serves on the boards of several non-profits on the Eastern Shore, Annapolis and Philadelphia.

As part of the Maryland Transportation Authority’s (MDTA) continuing efforts to expedite the #BayBridgeWork deck rehabilitation project, temporary off-peak closures of the center lane of the westbound Bay Bridge (US 50/301) are scheduled to resume Monday, February 10, weather permitting. Crews will take advantage of lower winter traffic volumes and warmer temperatures to advance the rehabilitation of the westbound right lane while avoiding morning and afternoon rush hours. The center lane closures will give crews a safe work zone to pour concrete onto the westbound right lane.

On Monday, February 10, and Tuesday, February 11, motorists should expect center lane closures any time between 10 a.m. and 2:45 p.m., weather and traffic volumes permitting. We encourage westbound drivers to plan extra time in your travel, especially if traveling to a scheduled appointment.

MDTA will continue to monitor weather forecasts. Should conditions permit, crews will move this daytime work to overnight hours to minimize impacts to bridge customers. During the center lane closures, the remaining lane will be 11 feet wide, meaning wide loads – vehicles wider than 10 feet – will be prohibited. Operators of wide-load vehicles should adjust westbound travel times and can sign up for email and text alerts at mdta.maryland.gov and subscribe to #BayBridgeWork for commercial vehicle notifications.

Governor Larry Hogan today announced that all lanes at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge will be open this summer as deck work on the westbound right lane is completed a year ahead of schedule and all-electronic tolling goes live. The governor was joined by Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Executive Director James F. Ports, Jr. and MDTA construction inspectors and work crews in removing Toll Booth 4 to mark the first milestone in replacing existing toll systems.

“I am pleased to announce that this project will be completed a full year ahead of schedule, and that all lanes on the Bay Bridge will be open by summer of 2020,” said Governor Hogan. “Our entire team has spent the past few months working around the clock to make today’s announcement possible. I want to thank all of the men and women who are designing and constructing these important projects, as well as everyone who operates, maintains, and protects the bridge and its travelers each and every day.”

At the October 16, 2019 Board of Public Works meeting, Governor Hogan directed the MDTA to expedite the schedule for the #BayBridgeWork deck rehabilitation project and to implement all-electronic tolling at the Bay Bridge as soon as possible. The MDTA developed an aggressive plan to complete the westbound right lane work and bring AET to Bay Bridge travelers by summer 2020.

“Following the Governor’s direction, we’ve been working closely with the contractor to further minimize impacts to the public while continuing to expedite work,” said MDTA Executive Director

Ports. “With warmer temperatures forecasted the week of February 2, the first rapid-set concrete pours will be able to take place during planned overnight closures between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. and not impact daytime traffic.”

The deck rehabilitation project began in September 2019, after over a decade of deferred maintenance resulted in severe deterioration of the westbound right lane surface, posing a number of safety risks to motorists.

“I want to thank Governor Hogan for listening to the concerns of our communities and taking action to expedite the Bay Bridge project with thoughtful and meaningful solutions,” said Sen. Steve Hershey. “Once he got involved and directed crews to work around the clock, we saw an immediate improvement in the situation. We look forward to working with MDTA to make sure the work gets completed by summer with minimal impacts on local residents and commuters.”

As a result of the expedited schedule, all milling work is complete and 54% of the latex modified concrete is placed. Upcoming work on the westbound span includes finishing the latex modified concrete in the right lane, replacing joints, repairing deck punctures, replacing steel rail posts, taking down jersey barriers, and restriping lanes. Motorists also will see work underway on the all-electronic tolling project including utility relocation, roadway reconstruction, and installation of the new eastbound tolling gantry between the bridge and MD 8.

With all-electronic tolling, cash is not accepted as payment. Drivers do not have to stop to pay tolls, as overhead gantries collect tolls electronically by E-ZPass or video tolling. The benefits of all-electronic tolling include less idling time for better fuel efficiency and reduced emissions, decreased congestion, increased driver safety, and a safer work environment for employees.

All work will be performed weather permitting. The MDTA urges motorists to drive with caution and obey all traffic-control devices and lane-control signals. Headlights are required at all times on the bridge. Lane closures are subject to change and closure times are dependent on traffic volumes.

The right lane on the westbound span is closed 24/7 for roadwork. Expect delays in both directions.

One lane of the eastbound span may be closed Sunday from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following morning and Tuesday and Wednesday from 7 to 10 a.m. for preservation/maintenance work or routine annual inspections.

The westbound span may be closed Monday through Thursday from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following morning, Friday from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. the following morning and Saturday from 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. the following morning for preservation/maintenance work or routine annual inspections. Two-way traffic will operate on the eastbound span during the full westbound span closures.

The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) will close the center lane of the westbound Bay Bridge Tuesday, Dec. 3, through Friday, Dec. 6, from approximately 10:45am to 2:45pm daily.

The extended timeframe for the center-lane closure is needed for two reasons:

– Based on weather forecasts, crews are taking advantage of the good temperatures this week to pour concrete.

– The overlay sections in this work zone are longer (approximately 270 feet) and require an estimated 3.5 hours to pour.

In continuing efforts to expedite this project, we ask our motorists and communities to please bear with us. Westbound backups could potentially reach three miles, taking an additional 25-30 minutes to cross the bridge.

We encourage drivers to plan extra time in your travel, especially if you’re travelling to a scheduled appointment.

As a reminder during these temporary closures, wide-loads (permit vehicles greater than 10 feet wide) are restricted due to the 11-foot lanes and should adjust westbound travel times.

For the latest on Bay Bridge traffic, call 1-877-BAYSPAN (229-7726) or visit baybridge.com. To view real-time traffic, camera images on MDTA roadways, visit mdta.maryland.gov. For updates on major incidents follow the MDTA on Twitter at twitter.com/TheMDTA.

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